IUCN BAT SPECIALIST GROUP NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 1 Ÿ NOVEMBER 2014

CHALLENGES IN BAT CONSERVATION: A WORLDWIDE PERSPECTIVE

Dear Readers,

It is a pleasure to introduce the first issue of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group Newsletter. Our aim is to inform the BSG community about the status and major threats of bats, as well as conservation and policy efforts to recover and maintain bat populations around the world.

We hope you enjoy the reading,

Maria Sagot, Editor of the IUCN Bat Specialist Group Newsletter

BSG EDITORIAL BOARD

BSG CO-CHAIRS LATIN AMERICA AND THE Prof. Dr. Paul Racey CARIBBEAN University of Exeter in Cornwall Bs. Luis R. Víquez Rodríguez Cornwall, England Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Email: [email protected] México México DF, México Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Medellín Email: [email protected] Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México NORTH AMERICA México DF, México Prof. Dr. Winifred Frick Email: [email protected] University of California Santa Cruz x California, United States Email: [email protected] WEB MASTER

Dr. Allyson Walsh OCEANIA San Diego ZOO California, United States Dr. Colin O’Donnell Email: [email protected] New Zealand Department of Conservation Wellington, New Zealand Email: [email protected] EDITOR IN-CHIEF

Prof. Dr. Maria Sagot SOUTHEAST ASIA State University of New York at Oswego New York, United States Prof. Dr. Faisal Ali Anwarali Email: [email protected] Khan Universiti Malaysia Sarawak AFRICA Sarawak, Malaysia Email: [email protected] Ms. Iroro Tanshi University of Benin

Benin, Nigeria Email: [email protected]

EUROPE Ms. Daniela Hamidović State Institute for Nature Protection Zagreb, Croatia Email: [email protected] Cover Photos: Colin O’Donell, Tigga Kingston and Iroro Tanshi.

CONTENT

EDITORIAL

AFRICA 1. Bat Conservation Africa: A voice for African bats

EUROPE 2. UNEP/EUROBATS – 20 Years of targeted and successful Conservation

LATIN AMERICA 3. Important Areas and Sites for Bat Conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean (AICOMs and SICOMs)

NORTH AMERICA 4. Conservation of North American Bats

OCEANIA 5. Challenges of bat conservation in Oceania

SOUTHEAST ASIA 6. The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit

EDITORIALCONTENT

Editorial failures. We are open to suggestions as to how best to increase By Rodrigo Medellín12 and Paul communication. This first issue is a Racey13 good example of why we chose Roald Dahl`s quote to open our piece: we would like to introduce the "There are no strangers in here, just editorial team to all of you as friends you haven't met..." friends you have not yet met, and — Roald Dahl also the authors who contributed with their efforts to show what great Communication is not the progress we are all making in the prerogative of humans, to be sure. protection of bats across the world. Virtually all species in the world Take, for example, Colin O’Donnell’s communicate. Many use chemical wonderful article on conservation in means, others electrical, acoustic, Oceania; a continent facing severe visual or tactile. A few use syntax in challenges such as overexploitation their communication, such as for food, roost disturbance, or exotic hyraxes, birds, and whales. But we invasive species. Or consider the humans are unique in our ability to piece by Luis Aguirre and Rubén communicate. Communicating can be Barquez on the Areas of Importance easily considered the single most for the Conservation of Bats, an common conscious activity all initiative of RELCOM, the Latin humans conduct every day. From the American Network for Bat baby demanding milk by crying, to Conservation that spearheads hands- the use of internet, text messages, on prioritization to protect critical or drums across forests, we humans areas for bats. Iroro Tanshi’s piece have felt the need to communicate on Bat Conservation Africa, a much- and the urge to maximize needed new network across Africa communication since our origin. that is a clear promise of great Today, the Bat Specialist Group of advances in bat conservation across IUCN’s Species Survival Commission that huge continent No doubt, many is embarking in a new of you will find this and the rest of communication adventure: we are the stories inspiring and helpful for launching a Newsletter! This new your own challenges. effort is in line with our strategy to The Bat Specialist Group provide a vehicle to learn about today is a growing, vibrant institution other bat conservation efforts across with lots of new blood, young the world. Ideally we would like to professionals, and great energy. We knit a network of bat conservation cannot over-stress how important it professionals working on similar is to bring in new life, innovative, challenges and sharing their creative ideas and energies into bat approaches, successes, lessons, and conservation. As we all know, bats EDITORIALCONTENT face severe threats across the world. SEABCRU, a growing network in southeast Asia, is another example of these multinational networks that so effectively are making strides towards conserving bats. As we move on to strengthening the network of members of the BSG, we would like to invite you to reach out across the ocean, across land, across mountains, and contact unmet friends who may be facing challenges similar to those you face. Who knows? This may lead to new, exciting collaborations, enhanced learning about other bats, other countries, other friends, and in the end, and most importantly, to improving the conservation status of bats, the goal that unites us all!!! Please take a moment and read all the articles in the Newsletter. You will meet new friends!

1Co-Chairs, Bat Specialist Group 2Instituto de Ecología, UNAM 3University of Exeter in Cornwall

CONTENTAFRICA

1. Bat Conservation Africa: A Steering Committee to plan the first voice for African bats African Bat Conservation summit, was perfect timing. With support By Iroro Tanshi from a long list of organisations, BCI covered the cost of attendance for When 40 bat researchers and all the participants, and distributed conservationists met in Naivasha, an essential library resource - Kunz Kenya over one intensive week for and Parsons, 2009. Drawing from the first summit on bat conservation existing models of continental in Africa, they had one goal, save networks, such as Red African Bats! This unprecedented Latinoamericana para la meeting gave rise to Bat Conservacion de los Murciélagos Conservation Africa, a network of (RELCOM), Southeast Asia Bat researchers and conservationists Conservation and Research Unit working on African bats. Home to (SEABCRU), Chiroptera Conservation over 20% of the world’s bat species, and Information Network of South Africa boasts a diversity of over 250 Asia (CCINSA) and Australian Bat species. Society (ABS), the network is African In addition to limited local led. capacity, the few dedicated and Bat Conservation Africa seeks experienced individuals in African bat to provide a communication platform research and conservation used to for bat workers in Africa, to ensure work in isolation. This translated into information sharing, collaboration for few bat conservation initiatives, research and conservation, capacity raising the threat level for such an building, education, and policy underrepresented group. Indeed, advocacy. Our mission is to facilitate Professor Paul Racey’s statement bat research and conservation action about Africa being “a conservation in Africa, providing a network open void” captured the situation aptly. to all bat conservation workers in Thus, when Bat Conservation the continent. International (BCI) pulled together a Launching the network has CONTENTAFRICA helped to tackle the isolation Conservation, Bat Interest Group of problem between bat workers across KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) and the the continent, with a growing Gauteng and Northern Regions Bat network of international collaborators. Interest Group (South Africa), We have maintained communication AfricanBats, AfriBats, Eidolon through a mailing list, a website Monitoring Network and many other (www.batconservationafrica.net) and a conservation projects. Facebook page, which allows It is easy to see that with the exchange of ideas between members. launch of BCA, bat conservation in This has resulted in multiple Africa now has a spring board and collaborations on a range of new the only way to fly is higher. The and different projects. Also, we are kind support of all individuals invited currently building a strategy to by BCI to execute the summit where develop local capacity in bat the network was launched is highly research and conservation across appreciated. Indeed, the network the continent. would be non-existent without the In line with the capacity commitments of: Andy Walker, Dave building strategy, Rufford Foundation Waldien, Cullen Geiselman, Chris offered a grant to BCA through one Woodruff, Bob Locke, Paul Racey, of our partners, Harrison Institute, Paul Webala, Jakob Fahr, Ara Sevenoaks to distribute copies of Monadjem, Julie Hanta the recently published Mammals of Razafimanahaka, Rodrigo Medellin, Africa (Kingdon et al., 2013) to Bruce Patterson, Paul Bates, Kyle individuals and 40 institutions across Armstrong and all the 42 Africa. The project is being participants at the summit. The administered by the Harrison network is grateful for the generous Institute and coordinated by Dr. donations from the following David Happold. The book project organisations: demonstrates how collective efforts of such dedicated individuals within the network will drive progress in conservation of African bats.

Perhaps the most exciting part about the launch of BCA is the momentum and enthusiasm for bats that it has created in the continent.

This by setting country based bat networks such as KenBATS in Kenya. Similarly, the BCA will work with regional and already existing pro-bat groups and initiatives like Bats without Borders, African Bat CONTENTAFRICA

CONTENTEUROPE

2. UNEP/EUROBATS – 20 Years was finally concluded under the of targeted and successful auspices of CMS as an independent Conservation Action international treaty and entered into force in January 1994. By Andreas Streit and Suren The EUROBATS Secretariat Gazaryan was established by the First Session of the Meeting of Parties in 1995 Introduction to EUROBATS (MoP1). It started working in Bonn, The Agreement on the Conservation Germany in 1996 and is co-located of Populations of European Bats with the Secretariat of the Bonn (EUROBATS) aims to protect all Convention. Its particular functions European bat species through are to: exchange information and legislation, education, conservation coordinate international research and measures and international monitoring initiatives; arrange the cooperation with member states and Meetings of the Parties and the with those who have not yet joined. Advisory and Standing Committee The Agreement provides a framework meetings; stimulate proposals for of cooperation for the conservation improving the effectiveness of the of bats throughout Europe, Northern Agreement, and attract more Africa and the Middle East. Article III countries to participate in and to of the Agreement contains accede to the Agreement as well as fundamental obligations on bat to stimulate public awareness of the conservation, which Parties shall threats to European bat species. In implement with proper legislative and 2001 the EUROBATS Secretariat administrative measures. joined the CMS and other related As early as at the first Agreement Secretariats in joint Conference of Parties to the administrative arrangements within Convention on the Conservation of the United Nations Environment Migratory Species of Wild Animals Programme (UNEP). (CMS or the Bonn Convention) in October 1985, John A. Burton of the Species of concern Fauna and Flora Preservation Society In the original Agreement, “bats” (FFPS) produced an outline concept were defined as European for an European Agreement on Bats. populations of Chiroptera The CMS recognises that endangered (Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae) migratory species can be properly occurring in Europe and non- protected only if activities are European Range States. With a first carried out over the entire migratory Amendment adopted at MoP1 in range of the species and for this 1995, the family Molossidae was reason the area of the proposed added to the Agreement. Increased agreement was restricted to ranges knowledge and new data made a of European bat species. EUROBATS second Amendment to the CONTENTEUROPE

Agreement necessary. At MoP3 in Plecotus teneriffae and Pipistrellus 2000, the Parties decided to maderensis. Another island long- complement the Agreement with an eared bat species, Plecotus sardus, Annex 1, listing the species of is assessed as Vulnerable, as well as European bats, including Taphozous the Mediterranean cave-dwellers, nudiventris from the family Myotis cappacinii and Rhinolophus Emballonuridae and one mehelyi. Seven more species from Megachiroptera species – Rousettus Annex 1 are assessed as Near aegyptiacus. This Annex is since then Threatened and three as Data regularly reviewed and amended, Deficient. based on the most recent taxonomical and faunal knowledge EUROBATS area and membership by each MOP and now includes 52 Initially, the Agreement covered bat species from the families continental Europe from the Vespertilionidae (44 species), Caucasus in the East to the Rhinolophidae (5 species) and single Mediterranean coast in the South. It representatives of the Emballonuridae, included the British Isles, Ireland, Mollossidae and Pteropodidae Cyprus and Malta and most of the families. islands belonging to European states. According to the latest IUCN Following new scientific evidence, its Red List, the EUROBATS Annex 1 geographical scope was significantly contains 3 bat species assessed as enlarged in 2010 and now includes Endangered, all of them restricted to the whole Western Palaearctic region, the Canaries, the Azores and the with the Svalbard Archipelago as the Madeira islands: Nyctalus azoreum, northern boundary, to the south the countries of the Mediterranean basin, to the East the longitude 50 East and to the West the Azores at longitude 30 West as boundaries. The agreement area now embraces 63 range states, including those from Northern Africa and Arabian Peninsula, as well as Iran and Kazakhstan. Both the number of Parties to EUROBATS and the participation of non-Party Range States in the meetings are steadily increasing. Up to now, a total of 35 The geographical scope of the EUROBATS Agreement (the boundaries used on this map out of 63 Range States have do not imply official endorsement or acceded to the Agreement; but as acceptance by the United Nations.) many as 45 countries are CONTENTEUROPE

Number of Parties and representation of countries (including non-Party Range States) in EUROBATS meetings for the past seven triennia. represented in the meetings by population survey and monitoring, scientific focal points and observers. roosts, foraging habitats, pesticides, promoting public awareness for bats EUROBATS as a bridge between and their conservation, providing science and conservation advice and initiating international In 1995 a Conservation and cooperation. Intersessional Working Management Plan was developed Groups (IWG) were established as and intended to be translated into discussion panels for each particular international action. The newly topic, following the “challenge- established Advisory Committee response” scheme in reacting to (Experts from Parties and Range emerging threats for populations of States) was commissioned to forward European bats and developing new this Plan between the MoPs. The ideas for their conservation. Right Advisory Committee had its first now, 15 IWG are active in order to meeting in April 1996 with delegates implement the requirements of the from 9 Parties and 5 Range States. MoP resolutions. As some results of One of the main functions of the their work, a number of guidelines Committee was defined as were published in several languages monitoring and evaluating the steps during the past 7 years: Protecting undertaken by Parties to comply with and managing underground sites for the Action Plan. Priorities were bats (2007), Guidelines for identified in the following areas of consideration of bats in wind farm bat conservation: legal requirements, projects (2008), Bats and Forestry CONTENTEUROPE

Underground sites of international importance included in the EUROBATS database (the boundaries used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.)

(2009), Protection of overground maintain their continuing value to roosts for bats (2010) and bats. The EUROBATS database of Guidelines for Surveillance and important underground sites contains Monitoring of European Bats (2010). data on 1,487 locations. Combining the experience of many This database is the largest countries and scientists, these collection of data on underground guidelines are an outstanding source sites for bats in Europe and includes of information for national information from Parties and Range authorities and NGOs engaged in States, with limited access to some bat conservation and monitoring. details for sites sensitive to In parallel with preparing disturbance and uncontrolled tourism. guidelines, remarkable work was done by AC to identify and list the Awareness raising and promotion of most important underground and bat conservation overground habitats across the Raising public awareness and Agreement area. These assessments promotion of the importance of bat are key steps towards ensuring that conservation is among the important sites are appropriately fundamental obligations of Parties to protected and managed to EUROBATS. Since the MOP 1 priorities were given to improve the CONTENTEUROPE perception of bats to the general significant number of project public and to educate target groups proposals as well as additional of people who come into contact voluntary contributions for its with bats due to their professional operation. or voluntary activitities (builders, roofers, foresters, cavers etc.). Measurable success The major activities of the In January 2013 the European EUROBATS Secretariat in this field Environment Agency published the are facilitating the International Bat most comprehensive study yet made Night, the EUROBATS Project of European bat population trends. Initiative, the publication and The study is the first to compile dissemination of guidelines and data from ten existing monitoring leaflets as well as regular presence schemes in 9 countries, building a in the media. prototype European-scale indicator 1997 was the first year of a of bat population trends. Surveyors European Bat Night, introduced by counted and catalogued bats the EUROBATS Secretariat as a hibernating at 6000 sites and special event to raise public studied 16 of the 45 bat species. awareness for bat conservation. Overall, these species appear to Since that time the Bat Night has have increased by 43% at grown to an international event, hibernating sites between 1993 and taking place every year all over the 2011, with a relatively stable trend Agreement area, mainly around the since 2003. last weekend of August. Nature The report states that the conservation agencies and NGOs in apparent population increase of the participating countries pass on most species may reflect the impact information to the public with of national and European presentations about the fascinating conservation legislation, species and features of bats, exhibitions and bat site protection, targeted conservation walks, often offering the opportunity measures and widespread to listen to bat sounds with awareness-raising, particularly under ultrasound bat detectors. The the EUROBATS Agreement. EUROBATS Secretariat coordinates these events through its website and EUROBATS as a model for provides free International Bat Night international protection of bats posters for the organisers. Since its conclusion, the EUROBATS The EUROBATS Projects Agreement was seen as a prototype Initiative (EPI) was launched in 2008 that - if successful – could serve as to provide funding for small to an example for similar conservation medium-sized bat conservation mechanisms in other regions of the projects (up to 10.000 Euro). During world. The encouraging results of the past years, it has attracted a the Agreement and the fact that the CONTENTEUROPE vast majority of almost 1300 bat species worldwide are occurring outside the EUROBATS Agreement area, many of them with an alarming conservation status, clearly indicates the need to encourage governments together with NGOs in Africa, Latin America and Asia to engage in bat conservation action and to consider the conclusion of trans boundary instruments for bats. An encouraging development has started in 2013 in Africa, a continent with more than 250 species of bats, when the Bat Conservation Africa (BCA) network was launched by 30 bat specialists from 19 African countries.

Additional information can be found on the EUROBATS website www.eurobats.org

LATINCONTENT AMERICA

3. Important Areas and Sites important processes in which they for Bat Conservation in Latin are involved. America and the Caribbean In order to diminish the (AICOMs and SICOMs) extinction of species and their related ecosystem services, we By Luis F. Aguirre1 and Rubén M. propose as a good measure of Barquez2 conservation, the recognition of sites that contains threatened species, as Latin America harbors a vast well as areas with high diversity and diversity of ecosystems, several of species richness, and species that them currently considered as plays important roles in benefit of biodiversity hotspots, containing a their habitats, such as pollination, high number of species and seed dispersal, or insect population endemisms, where bats are among control. This principle is recognized the most important components. by the Latin American Bat Sometimes more than half of the Conservation Network (RELCOM), local mammalian assemblages in a which is currently promoting the given site are bats, and to date consolidation in the region of a there are about 380 species in the network of Important Areas and region. At each of these Sites for Bat Conservation in Latin ecosystems, the bats play crucial America and the Caribbean (AICOMs roles in providing key services such and SICOMs). as pollination, seed dispersal, and Including the joint efforts of insect pest control, among others. It 20 countries in the region, the Latin was estimated that at least 800 American Bat Conservation Network species of plants depend upon bats (RELCOM) was created in 2007, with for their survival and reproduction, the aim of working together to have 300 of them for their pollination and a regional authorized voice, to assist 500 for their seed dispersal. It was in the protection of these mammals. also estimated that without bats, at RELCOM envisions that humans and least 10% of the plant species might bats can live in harmony, and has experience adverse effects on their the primary mission to ensure the reproduction and survival. In spite of persistence of species, and viable this, bats are permanently and healthy populations of bats in discredited and accused of having Latin America and the rabies, leading to neglect the Caribbean, and to gain, in all benefits they provide in the region countries, the knowledge and to humans and nature. This attitude appreciation of their importance. favors the extirpation of several Bats in the region are our key allies, species of bats from their fragile while they help to maintain a ecosystems, as well as the healthy ecosystem, even using their disappearance of some critically services to help in the economy of LATINCONTENT AMERICA humans. Understand them and 1. To contain species of national or protect them, is the main duty of regional conservation relevance RELCOM. (including threatened and near- As a mandate from the Latin threatened species in the red lists of American Strategy of Bat the country, species in the IUCN list, Conservation we produced, in 2011, endemic, migratory, rare, data the guidelines for the creation, deficient, by their role in ecosystem consolidation, and recognition of functioning, species with small, areas and sites of importance for restricted distributional ranges, or the conservation of bats in Latin present at the border of their America. Currently, two categories of distributional limit). important sites for the conservation 2. To hold key roosting sites of one of bats are recognized: 1) AICOM or more species of conservation (Área Importante para la concern that are used permanently Conservación de los Murciélagos = or temporarily, for a significant Area of Importance for bat portion of its life cycle, as in the Conservation), that could include case of maternity roosts, or areas where bats spend most of aggregation sites for migration. It their core activities of roosting and can also be a system of caves, or foraging, and 2) SICOM (Sitio specific shelters as anthropic Importante para la Conservación de constructions, among others. los Murciélagos = Site of importance 3. To contain high species richness, for bat conservation), which are regardless of their threat. smaller and punctual sites that To date, RELCOM has maintain endangered species or officially received and accepted the species important for conservation, request of several A&S from its and may be caves, water bodies or associates, belonging to Argentina, foraging sites as parks, anthropic Bolivia, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Cuba, structures like houses, bridges, Ecuador, El Salvador, México, tunnels, or abandoned mines, among Paraguay and Venezuela. To date, others. in Latin America exists 67 A&S (56 RELCOM has established several AICOMs and 11 SICOMs) constituting standards to recognize AICOMs and a network of protected areas and SICOMs (A&S) in every Country, sites that are supporting the based on the principle that each conservation many species, most of Country is free to establish all the them threatened and highly relevant A&S needed to ensure the to conservation (e.g. pollinators, conservation of bats in its territory. migratory species). Each of the local When proposing an AICOM, the bat conservation programs in Latin minimum criterion for an area to be America and the Caribbean are recognized by RELCOM includes: currently working in proposals to establish their own A&Ss following LATINCONTENT AMERICA the guidelines RELCOM has approved. We are expecting that within a couple of years we will have a vast functional network of AICOMs and SICOMs in Latin America and the Caribbean, effectively protecting most of the region’s threatened bats species.

1 Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética, Faculta de Ciencias y Tecnología, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Bolivia. 2 PCMA (Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina); CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), and PIDBA (Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Argentina.

NORTHCONTENT AMERICA

4. Conservation of North included Indiana bats (Myotis American Bats sodalis), gray bats (Myotis grisesens), and Hawaiian hoary bats (Lasiurus By Winifred F. Frick1 and Ann cinereus semotus) on the initial list Froschauer2 of species to receive protection. In 1979, two additional subspecies of Current conservation efforts of bats, the Ozarks big-eared bat North American bats are focused on (Corynorhinus townendii ingens) and two main threats: White-Nose the Virginia big-eared bat Syndrome (WNS) and wind energy (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus) development. These two threats were granted endangered status and currently eclipse other concerns protection under the ESA. The about bat conservation in North 1970s were an era of increased America including forest management, awareness and interest in protecting habitat degradation, pesticide use, species that were vulnerable to roost disturbance, and climate extinction from human activities. change. There are 47 species of With the exception of Hawaiian bats that occur in the United States hoary bats, these four endangered and Canada. Although species are cave-dwelling species geographically North America and numbers at hibernacula had includes Mexico, we focus here on been steadily declining over the the USA and Canada as the range 1960s, causing concern about their of species and threats are similar in conservation status. Big-eared bats these temperate countries. In this and gray bats roost in caves in both piece, we review a brief history of summer and winter and depend on bat conservation in the United only a handful of caves, making States and then discuss current them highly vulnerable to human conservation threats and responses. disturbance. Causes of declines for The focus here is largely US-centric, these caverniculous bats were but future newsletters will broaden multifaceted, including pesticide use the scope to include Canadian and human disturbance at winter perspectives on many of these roosts. Ironically, part of the human issues. disturbance at winter roosts was believed to be due to researchers Brief History of Bat banding bats during winter. Many Conservation in the USA changes occurred in the 1970s, Bat conservation and including the banning of the use protection in the United States DDT, reduction in winter banding, parallels the history of species and gating of caves and mines to protection in the USA. The reduce human disturbance. These Endangered Species Act (ESA) was changes were successful in reversing passed into law in 1973 and the population trends and bat NORTHCONTENT AMERICA counts started to steadily rise (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae and beginning in the early 1980s. Leptonycteris nivalis) were listed as Inclusion of Indiana and gray endangered on the ESA in 1988. bats on the ESA was pivotal toward These species were thought to be creating a framework for protection declining in part due to habitat and management of hibernating destruction and degradation from species in the USA. This framework agave production for liquor. These included annual or biennual counts species roost in large aggregations at winter hibernacula for assessing and depend on cave roosts, which population trends as well as also makes them vulnerable to concerted efforts to minimize human human disturbance. Conservation of disturbance at sites through cave these species requires bi-national and mine gating, and public collaboration given that these education. Federally listed species spend the winter in central hibernating species in the USA are and southern Mexico and migrate eastern in distribution, so other into southwestern USA during hibernating species, such as eastern summer months. Awareness and Myotis species, Perimyotis subflavus conservation of these species has and Eptesicus fuscus, were been part of a broader concern for beneficiaries of these practices and migratory pollinators that depend on prior to the emergence of white-nose a nectar corridor. Recently, syndrome in 2007, populations of all Leptonycteris yerbabuenae was six hibernating species in eastern delisted from its threatened status in North America were growing. Mexico due to stabilizing and However, conservation efforts were increasing population trends on mostly focused on monitoring and mainland Mexico. conservation of cave hibernating All bat species currently listed species in eastern United States. as endangered in the USA use and In contrast, in western regions of the rely on caves for all or part of their USA and Canada there has been critical life history, with the exception limited monitoring of bat populations, of the Hawaiian hoary bat. In fact, in part because little is known about these species all depend on caves where western bat species hibernate. year round, except Indiana bats Without concentrated aggregations which use trees for summer roosts. at hibernacula for routine monitoring Caverniculous bats are likely more and established recovery plans for prone to threats such as human monitoring endangered species, there disturbance because they aggregate are few opportunities for assessing in large numbers in a limited number population trends of most western of suitable habitats. In addition, bat species. caverniculous bats may also be In the southwestern USA, two more readily monitored therefore migratory nectar-feeding bats there is greater ability to detect NORTHCONTENT AMERICA declining population trends in these bat die-offs were first reported at species. hibernacula in upstate New York in Any review (no matter how 2006-2007, and it is estimated that brief) of the history of bat more than 5.5 million bats have died conservation in the USA would be from WNS since it first appeared. remiss without mentioning the pivotal The disease is now throughout most and pioneering work of Dr. Merlin of eastern North America and into Tuttle and Bat Conservation the Midwest, occurring in 25 states International. Dr. Tuttle did his and five Canadian provinces. WNS doctoral work on gray bats in the affects multiple species of bats, 1970s and was instrumental in including most eastern hibernating getting legal protection for the species, although mortality and species. Beyond his scientific population impacts vary among contributions, Dr. Tuttle founded Bat species. Northern long-eared bats Conservation International in 1982, a (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown NGO dedicated solely to the bats (Myotis lucifugus), and tri- protection and conservation of the colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) world’s bat species. Dr. Tuttle’s appear to be the three species that campaign to change cultural are hardest hit by the disease. The perception of bats as disease- fungus grows at cold temperatures carrying vermin to valuable and only affects bats during ecosystem providers has greatly hibernation, but is capable of improved the general public’s persisting in cave and mine perception of bats and public environments. The fungus is attitudes toward bat conservation. common on bats in Europe and the Bat Conservation International most plausible scenario is that remains an important contributor to people accidently introduced the educational outreach and public fungus to North America from awareness for bat conservation as traveling between caves in Europe well as plays a vital role in and New York. coordinating collaboration and Mortality from WNS has research on bat conservation. caused precipitous declines in many bat species and caused urgent Conservation Threats to North concern about risk of extinction for American Bats several species. Early studies based on initial declines predicted White-Nose Syndrome the regional extinction (extirpation) White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) within 20 years of little brown bats is a disease caused by a fungal (Myotis lucifugus), once the most pathogen Pseudogymnoascus common species in eastern North destructans that infects bats during America. Northern long-eared bats hibernation. Observations of mass (Myotis septentrionalis) may also be NORTHCONTENT AMERICA at risk of extinction from the disease management and conservation and have disappeared from many of priorities and goals. the sites they were known to hibernate in before the disease Wind Energy Development emerged. Currently, Northern long- Development of wind energy eared bats are proposed for listing facilities throughout North America as endangered and little brown bats has increased substantially over the are under review for listing as past 15 years. Although wind endangered under the US energy is viewed as a ‘clean’ green Endangered Species Act. In Canada, energy source and alternative to several species have been listed fossil fuels, there has been rising under provincial protection and three concern about the impacts to aerial species (tri-colored, Northern long- fauna, including bats, which are eared, and little brown bats) have killed at wind turbine facilities. been proposed for federal protection Substantial numbers of bats have under the Canadian Species at Risk been killed at wind turbines, with Act in Canada of species impacted some estimates reaching 660,000 by WNS. bats killed in 2012 alone. The Although WNS is by far the majority of fatalities occur during the most threatening conservation crisis migratory period and the most for bats in North America, the commonly killed species include response to the disease has created migratory tree bats, such as eastern an unprecedented collaborative red bats (Lasiurus borealis) and network of federal and state agency hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus). For biologists, academics, and non- hibernating species, there are government organizations in efforts concerns about potential cumulative to understand and combat the impacts from fatalities at wind disease and its spread. The US Fish turbines and white-nose syndrome, and Wildlife Service has played a particularly for those species that crucial role of coordinating are currently on the endangered list communication under a national or proposed to be listed. response plan, and directly funding Conservation efforts toward bats and research and management activities wind energy include efforts by Bat through multiple grant opportunities Conservation International to create to researchers and natural resource the Bats and Wind Energy management agencies. Annual WNS Cooperative (BWEC), which brings workshops have been instrumental in together wind energy representatives bringing together researchers and and bat conservation scientists to state, provincial, and federal address the issue and support biologists to share and disseminate research to understand the impacts information, resulting in the and risk factors associated with establishment of disease fatalities from wind turbines. The NORTHCONTENT AMERICA

U.S. Department of Interior has also drought and reduced water developed voluntary, science-based availability due to climate change is guidelines to help wind energy a growing concern for species in project developers avoid and arid areas of the west. minimize impacts of land-based wind projects on bats and other wildlife. Regional Bat Working Groups – Although we can roughly estimate Conservation in Action the number of bats killed by wind Conservation of bats in North turbine facilities through carcass America relies on cooperation and surveys after accounting for carcass participation of both federal and removal and observer biases, state agency biologists, NGO’s such understanding the population-level as Bat Conservation International, impacts from these fatalities is much and academic researchers. There is tougher. Without a sense of a coalition of North American Bat regional or total population sizes of Working Groups, which includes four migratory tree bats, determining regional bat working groups: whether fatalities will cause long- Northeast Bat Working Group, term population declines is Midwest Bat Working Group, problematic. Basic lack of Southeastern Bat Diversity Network, information on population sizes has and Western Bat Working Group. hindered ability to determine the These working groups grew out of impact of this threat on bat efforts to create a collaborative populations at local to regional partnership for bat conservation in scales. North America. For the past couple decades, these regional groups have Other Threats operated independently with similar Before the rise in wind energy missions to bring together people power and the emergence of WNS, interested in bat conservation to bat conservation in North America address regional threats and issues. was focused on forest management For example, the Northeastern Bat practices, reducing human Working Group has been important disturbance at roosts, and pesticide in coordinating information and use. These anthropogenic stressors research activities on WNS. More are still present and the impact of recently, there are plans to host a these threats varies regionally and joint meeting of all working groups among species. One of the main in March 2015 as part of a renewed hindrances to effective bat effort to build a broader coalition conservation is paucity of for North American bat conservation. information on population dynamics and population trends for species North American Bat Monitoring that are not easy to count on an Plan – NABat annual basis. In addition, impact of NORTHCONTENT AMERICA

One of the outcomes of the international, partner-based bat coordination from the WNS national conservation, these coordinated response plan is the establishment response efforts have instilled a of a North American Bat Monitoring sense of responsibility and Program, known as NABat. This dedication to understand and solve effort is being led by Susan Loeb these conservation problems and with the US Forest Service Southern provide the hope necessary to Research Station in South Carolina succeed toward being effective and Laura Ellison at USGS in Fort stewards of bat conservation in a Collins, Colorado. NABat establishes new era of devastating threats. a monitoring protocol to collect data on bat populations using acoustic ‘‘The findings and conclusions in this driving transects and stationary article are those of the author(s) acoustic stations that relies on a and do not necessarily represent the statistically robust framework of a views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife gridded network for site selection at Service.’’ local and national scales. In addition, this effort is revamping the 1Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Bat Population Data Project (BPD) as Santa Cruz 2 a centralized digital storehouse of US Fish and Wildlife Service bat monitoring data, including roost counts, acoustic data, and mist-net capture data. Data sharing agreements are a being drafted to protect sensitive data, such as cave locations, and to protect data contributors. NABat and BPD hold much promise for increasing ability to monitor bat populations in North America at broad and local scales. Summary In summary, bat conservation in North America faces some major challenges with the emergence of white-nose syndrome and the expansion of wind energy development. However, these crises have been met with impressive coordination and responsiveness by federal and state agencies, NGOs, and academic researchers. In addition to being a driver for CONTENTOCEANIA

5. Challenges of bat richness is much higher with at least conservation in Oceania 43 species known. If you check out the IUCN’s By Colin O’Donnell1 latest red lists, and search for bats listed in Oceania, you will find just Oceania covers a large number of over 200 species listed (about 150 countries and a huge area across the south-western Pacific Ocean. The area includes numerous island groups and literally tens of thousands of islands from the Northern Mariana and Marshall Islands in the north through to French Polynesia in the East. The largest land masses are Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. However, bats do not occur across the whole region – largely because they don’t occur in more isolated island regions or on numerous small islands, which simply don’t provide enough habitat, even if bats could reach them. The centres of bat diversity Vanuatu Flying Fox (Vulnerable) Photo: Glenn Hoye are Australia (>70 species) and Melanesia (>100 species), which microbats and 70+ megabats). constitute the largest land masses However, small island size, isolation close to Asia and sources of and relatively few people in most numerous migrants in the past. Bat parts of Oceania mean that the bat species richness generally declines faunas of many groups are not that as one travels farther to the East. well known – and the results of Bats are absent from the Marshall many local surveys are not widely Islands, Kiribati and French Polynesia. available. New expeditions frequently The eastern-most bat find new bat populations, though not population occurs in the Cook necessarily new species! Islands, which has a small population A high proportion of bats in of the widespread Polynesian flying Oceania are threatened – and in fox Pteropus tonganus. Moving back some small countries all are towards the west, Samoa has 3 threatened (Table 1). Some species species, Fiji has 6 species, Vanuatu are island endemics, but there are a at least 9 species and by the time few widespread threatened species you reach the Solomon Islands, as well. For example, the endangered CONTENTOCEANIA

the region, with more work being done in Australia and New Zealand than elsewhere. In subsequent issues of the Newsletter we will examine the active recovery programme for New Zealand bats and a range of the bat conservation initiatives through the region.

Table 1: Distribution of threatened bats across Oceania. The list is based on the IUCN Red List 2013.2 (http://www.iucnredlist.org). The list excludes extinct species but includes Near Threatened and Data Deficient species. The lists for each country Despite there being extensive wilderness are not necessarily complete as new areas on islands in Samoa, recent searches information comes to light frequently. have failed to find the Endangered Pacific sheath-tailed bat Photo: Colin O’Donnell

Pacific sheath-tailed bat Emballonura semicaudata (comprising 4 subspecies) is found throughout most of the Pacific, but has now disappeared from, or is now very rare in most places where it is known. As well as there being a great deal of uncertainty about the status of many populations, bats face a huge number of the common threats, which are not unique to the region: • Overexploitation for food • Loss of habitat, especially roosting habitat • Disturbance • Predation by exotic pests

The incorporation of bat conservation issues into restoration programmes is piecemeal through CONTENTOCEANIA

1Department of Conservation, Private Bag 4715, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand [email protected]

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6. The Southeast Asian Bat threatened bat fauna. It is open to Conservation Research Unit anyone interested in or conducting research on bats in Southeast Asia. By Tigga Kingston One of the first actions of the SEABCRU was to organize the 1st Southeast Asia is a bat diversity Southeast Asian Bat Conference, hotspot, supporting over 340 species. held in Phuket, Thailand and hosted by the Prince of Songkla University. During the conference, the SEABCRU held a forum to identify regional priorities for bat conservation. It was intended that issues should either be shared by many countries, or require transboundary collaboration to resolve them. Over 70 people from 22 countries attended, so the priorities were the result of a true bottom-up consensus approach. The SEABCRU is consequently organized thematically around the four Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran (“Raj”) synthesizing the Taxonomy group’s findings at the expert’s priorities so identified: flying fox Workshop in Hat Yai, 201 2 distributions and population ecology; taxonomy and systematics; cave bat Unfortunately at least a fifth fall into diversity and conservation; and the IUCN threatened categories, as response of forest-dependent bats to populations are threatened by landscape change. habitat loss, hunting for bushmeat and traditional medicine, and disturbance at roost sites, primarily caves. The Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (SEABCRU www.seabcru.org FACEBOOK: Southeast Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit) was established in 2007 with support from BAT

Biodiversity Partnership to provide an Learning the noble art of counting bats at organizational framework to roosts – Flying Fox Workshop in Cambodia coordinate and implement research, 201 3 capacity building, and outreach to promote the conservation of Southeast Asia’s diverse but SOUTHEASTCONTENT ASIA

Flying Fox Workshop in Cambodia 201 3

In 2011, the SEABCRU (again with Prince of Songkla received five years of funding from University) that pulled together the National Science Foundation to existing experts in bat research from i) effect a regional assessment of across SE Asia, to develop the distribution, abundance and standardized research protocols for status of Southeast Asian bats each priority so that results are through the implementation of comparable across the region. Our research activities centered on the efforts in 2013-2014 focus on four priority areas and ii) recruit implementing “Network Gap students and researchers to the Workshops” – intended to stimulate SEABCRU, engage them in the research in areas that currently lack research priorities, promote effective expertise or initiatives. international communication and The Flying Fox team identified stimulate collaboration. The Indochina as just such a “network SEABCRU is coordinated by a gap”, leading to the 2013 Flying Fox Steering Committee (SC), and each Workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. research priority has 2-3 Team We invited participants who were Leaders drawn from the SC, and is active in biodiversity research and supported by a Student Support conservation and were most likely to Team (SST). The committee members use the workshop outputs for their and students are drawn from own research and conservation Southeast Asia, the US and UK. management activities. The 28 We began our NSF mission with the participants came from NGOs, 2nd International Southeast Asian Bat universities, ministries and research Conference (in collaboration with the institutes in Cambodia, southern Indonesian Institute of Sciences) in Vietnam and Thailand. The workshop Bogor, Indonesia in 2011. In 2012 focused on two main goals of the we held a workshop in Thailand SEABCRU Flying Fox Priority: i) SOUTHEASTCONTENT ASIA

Participants learning from Dr Sara Bumrungsi (standing, center) how to stain and identify pollen and seeds from bat feces and rejecta collected at roosts. Cambodia 2013 developing baseline population size and distribution information and ii) addressing human-flying fox interactions (positive: pollination and seed dispersal; negative: crop raiding and as disease hosts). The Network Gap workshops continue in 2014, with the Taxonomy and Systematics group heading to Myanmar in August, and the Cave group to southern Vietnam in November. We hope to bring everyone interested in Southeast Asian bats back together again for the 3rd Southeast Asian Bat Conference, in 2015 or 2016. Meanwhile, research resources and education and outreach materials developed by SEABCRU and its members are available from our website, where we also work to keep abreast of publications and other news events.